A record 71 films vie for Foreign Film Oscar nomination

Kristyn Burtt is an IAWTV award-winning host and entertainment reporter. She currently hosts the recap shows for "Dancing With the Stars" and "So You Think You Can Dance" on AfterBuzz TV and for "True Blood" on GeekNation.

a crowded field wants Oscar gold

In a crowded field this year, the foreign film entries reveal newcomers, veterans and a political omission.

Yesterday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that a record 71 countries were vying for the 2012 Foreign Language Oscar. The remarkable number comes as several movies begin to make film-festival awards lists and jump to the head of a crowded pack.

Notable entries on Monday's list include Nairobi Half Life, which is the first entry ever for the country of Kenya, as well as Austria's Amour, which garnered the top prize at May's Cannes Film Festival. Lasse Hallstrom, director of The Cider House Rules, is also noted on this list for the Swedish film, The Hypnotist.

One huge absence from the foreign film list is last year's winning country, Iran. It won the Oscar for the first time in 2011, with A Separation. Unfortunately, Iran elected this year to withdraw its official selection, A Cube of Sugar, in protest of the anti-Islam film, Innocence of Muslims. That controversial film, released on YouTube, sparked riots that resulted in the death of U.S. Ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens.